


Save Tonight

by WeeTree



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:54:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24155428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeeTree/pseuds/WeeTree
Summary: Draco has experienced one of the worst days of his life and before tomorrow comes to take him away, he needs to make tonight count.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 4
Kudos: 63





	Save Tonight

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second go at writing and I wanted to try something from Draco's perspective. I didn't find it as easy to write as my first one shot so I've sat on this one for a couple of days but I've decided to just post it anyway. I haven't found a beta yet but two very good friends helped me out a lot with editing in the interim so I just want to say thanks very much to them! I really appreciated the comments on my first post and the helpful advice that I was given, so if you have any to share please do - I'm still very new to this. 
> 
> This story was inspired by 'Save Tonight - Eagle-Eye Cherry' so keep it in mind while you read!

“Granger, close the curtains, it’s been dark outside for hours.”

At Draco’s request, Hermione crossed the room and pulled the curtains shut before she turned and resumed pacing in front of the fireplace, all without glancing in Draco’s direction. Draco cautiously watched her, bathed in the soft glow of the numerous candles that she had insisted be placed all over their bedroom, and wished that she would look at him. 

In an attempt to gain her attention Draco said, “Granger, please stop wearing a hole in my very nice, very old and very expensive Acromantula silk Turkish carpet that I provided as a wonderful addition to our apartment. Come, sit and have a drink with me.”

When Hermione didn’t so much as raise her eyes from his precious carpet and continued pacing Draco turned towards the drinks cabinet in resignation and retrieved a decanter of red wine, pleased that he had restocked it recently with a 1970 vintage from the cellar in Malfoy Manor. Draco would take any small mercy that he could, at least he would be able to have one last taste of his favourite wine before facing the horrors that tomorrow would bring. He mused that perhaps once he was exposed to the Dementors that had returned to guard Azkaban, he would not be able to remember the taste of wine. He pushed that troubling thought from his mind and summoned two goblin-wrought silver goblets from the cabinet with a nonverbal Accio and poured a generous amount of the crimson liquid into each. 

He returned to the sofa, with a goblet clasped in each hand and pleaded, “Granger, please sit and have a drink with me.” 

Hermione stopped pacing and came to sit beside Draco, accepting the goblet that he held out for her and drank deeply. Draco watched her warily, noting that she was staring into the fire and not at him. He took a sip of wine and nearly choked when Hermione suddenly slammed her goblet down on the coffee table and stood abruptly. She moved towards the small pile of luggage stacked neatly on the floor at the foot of the bed and asked in a hurried tone, “Are you sure you have everything? I can go through your luggage again to make sure there’s nothing else that you should take.”

Draco ran his hand through his hair and sighed, “Granger -”

He was interrupted by Hermione’s persistent questions, “Are you allowed to take any healing supplies? Do you think that Essence of Dittany would be permitted?” Without waiting for a response Hermione strode towards their wall of bookshelves with determined steps and began avidly searching as she continued, “I have a book on the rules and guidelines of Azkaban somewhere here.” 

Draco’s initial reaction of confusion as to why someone would possess such a book was banished from his mind as he remembered that this was Hermione Granger. He set down his goblet with forced calmness and watched as Hermione located a large volume and began furiously flicking through the contents. In a louder voice, Draco began, “Grang-”

Hermoine, refusing to let him finish, continued, “Yes! You are allowed to bring two vials of it with you. You know it came in very useful a number of times when I was with Harry and Ron and I hope that you wouldn’t need any but it’s always better to be prepared. It says here that you won’t be allowed to keep it on your person but they will hold it for you and use it if the circumstances require it. I will -”

“Hermione!”, Draco shouted, desperation evident in his tone while he ran both hands roughly through his platinum hair.

At the use of her first name, Hermione looked up from the book and finally gazed at Draco. Draco locked eyes with her and appealed in a weary tone, “Please.” while motioning for her to sit beside him. Hermione sighed and moved towards the sofa, picking up her goblet before sitting beside him. She stared into the roaring fire and drank again. Draco picked up his goblet and took a large swig, never taking his eyes from Hermione’s face. He could see the anguish etched on her features and his despair deepened. 

Draco knew that it was entirely his fault that he would have to leave her. He had broken his probationary terms and in doing so the Ministry of Magic finally had their excuse to throw him into Azkaban. He realised how lucky he had been after the war, instead of being sent to Azkaban he had been placed under five years’ probation, which included the stipulation that he would not perform any offensive spells. Draco had never expected to escape imprisonment, but having Brightest Witch of Her Age Hermione Granger and Wonder-Boy-Who-Just-Can't-Quite-Die Potter testify on his behalf had given him a real chance at redemption. A chance that he kept close to his heart for four years before catapulting it out the window and over to Outer Mongolia this morning. 

Draco continued to sip from his goblet as he tore his eyes from Hermione’s face and followed her line of sight into the blazing fire, watching the logs burn and crumble in the intense heat. As he drank, he reflected on today’s events and how he’d gone and fucked everything up. 

When he had been cornered this morning down a side street off Diagon Alley by a vigilante group of so-called ‘Fighters Against Death Eaters’ he braced himself to only use shield spells until he could escape and resume his shopping. He desperately wanted to collect a book he had placed on hold at Flourish & Blotts; he wanted to surprise Hermione with the latest Runology Journal. This wasn’t the first time that he had been hounded whilst in public and he would be damned if he ran away, apparating from them like the coward they thought he was. He wished the lot of them would listen to their idiotic name and just ‘fade’ away.

He did not, however, consider that one of them would attempt to use an Unforgivable Curse on him. 

When he heard the beginning of the Cruciatus curse being uttered from the lips of the man heading the group he reacted instantly and cast the first spell that entered his head, aiming a Confringo at the wall beside the group while jumping back to the edge of the opposite wall. Draco wouldn’t tell a soul but when he heard the first syllable of that particular Unforgivable Curse, he had been transported back to when he was seventeen and had to watch as Hermione was tortured by his ‘Aunt’ on his family’s floor. He still had nightmares about that night and the panic that engulfed him at almost hearing it cast again fueled his instinctive reaction.

Draco watched as masses of stones and rubble rained down, crashing upon the entire group and erasing them from his view. As he watched, his breath hitched as it dawned on him that he had broken his probation and in doing so would be sent to Azkaban. As this cold realisation flooded his mind, fear suddenly increased the torrent of negative emotions as he also realised that he had probably just committed murder.

He’d fucked up. Badly. 

Before the dust settled on the scene Draco had backed out of the side street and apparated home to Hermione. He found her reading in her favourite armchair and pulled her into his arms and held her close as he recounted what had happened, his voice breaking and breathing irregular and he spoke. When he finished speaking Hermione pulled away and placed her hands on either side of his face and kissed him on the lips. She then leant back and assured him that his actions were self-defence, especially in the face of an Unforgivable Curse and that she would do everything in her power to resolve the situation. She kissed him again before turning to the fireplace and flooring of the Ministry. 

Draco remained seated in her armchair in a state of shock until Hermione returned three hours later. Hermione held Draco’s hand as she told him that the group of men had been sent to St Mungo’s and they were in a stable condition. She rubbed her thumb on the back of his hand in a comforting motion as she informed him that they had sustained broken bones only, which were currently in the process of being healed. At this news Draco collapsed forward onto the floor, falling on his knees, as the relief that he hadn’t killed anyone overwhelmed him. Hermione knelt beside him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding him close to her chest as she hesitantly told him through tears that he was being sentenced to Azkaban for failing to adhere to the stipulations of his probation. 

She broke into desperate sobs as she told him that the Aurors would arrive to forcefully arrest him if he didn’t voluntarily hand himself in to the Ministry by six o’clock tomorrow morning. Draco clung to Hermione and apologised repeatedly for failing her, she hushed him and told him that she would do everything she could to secure his release.   
After they had been locked in their embrace for over half an hour, Hermione pulled away, dried her tears and began to formulate a plan. For hours she had pulled various books from their abundant number of shelves and made copious notes, frequently pausing to discuss her ideas with Draco. Draco listened but couldn’t bring himself to believe that she would be able to do much, she had already saved him from Azkaban once, the chances of her being able to stop the Ministry from ripping their pound of flesh from him this time were minuscule. Even if she did secure his release through the sheer bloody stubborn determination that he knew she possessed, the Ministry would still impose any bureaucratic delay that they could. He knew that even by the most optimistic viewpoint it was likely it would be in Azkaban for at least a year. 

Yeah, he’d really fucked up this time. 

Draco was interrupted from his tumultuous memories when Hermione uttered in a soft voice, “I wish you didn’t have to leave, none of this is fair.”

Draco sighed and took a sip from his goblet before responding with attempted humour to lighten her mood, “I know, locking someone this handsome and refined in prison is hardly fair on society as a whole. Truly though, I’m much more worried that you will have no one to drone on and on about Ancient Runes to while I’m gone.” 

In an action that caused Draco to almost drop his drink, Hermione threw her empty goblet against the mantle of the fireplace and angrily retorted “Draco, nothing about this is funny! I can’t make a joke out of this. I don’t want you to leave. There is no justice in any of this. How can I let you walk away from me tomorrow knowing where you will be going.” Hermione’s voice cracked as she finished.

Draco's eyes drifted to follow a tear that was slowly sliding down Hermione’s flushed cheek. At seeing her cry again today Draco quickly said in a reassuring voice, “I’m sorry, please don’t cry. I don’t know what else to do, I can’t say or do anything that will make this easier. I don’t want to see you upset anymore, I can’t take it. I...I have to go tomorrow morning. I wish that we could run away and pretend that none of this was happening, but we can’t. I have to face this. I have to go.”

Hermione wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and turned to face Draco, her whiskey eyes brimming with unshed tears. She said in a voice laced with sorrow, “I will miss you so much. I will do everything I can to get you out as soon as possible.” She took a breath and continued in a steadier tone, “I have already spoken to a number of people in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and Harry has agreed to speak to Kingsley personally. In fact, maybe I should go write a couple of letters…” Hermione moved to rise from the sofa. 

Draco placed his hand on Hermione’s thigh to still her movement and said in a low voice, “We only have a limited number of hours left before I have to leave. We have done everything that we can for now. Let’s just forget that this is happening, let’s just pretend that I’m not going anywhere. I have managed to singlehandedly fuck everything up and I am so...so sorry. I want us to have one last night, just being together. I don’t want us to be miserable anymore tonight. This will be the last time I get to see you for a long time and I don’t want to spend it discussing things we won't be able to change right now.” Draco moved his hand from Hermione’s thigh and placed it over her tear dampened hand and whispered, “Please, Hermione, let’s just save tonight.”

Hermione looked into his eyes and breathed, so low that he almost didn’t catch it, “Okay.”

Draco clutched Hermione’s hand tightly, elated that she was agreeing to just be with him without letting the inevitable agony ruin their last hours together, and pulled her from the sofa and led her towards their bed. He took a deep breath and turned his body towards hers, leaning down to press their foreheads together as he whispered, “Let’s delay our misery.” He then crushed his lips to hers in a bruising kiss and she responded by pushing herself against his chest and throwing her arms around his neck to pull him closer. 

Draco kissed her fervently with unbridled passion, pouring his love for her into the kiss. He needed to convey to her that she was everything that he had ever wanted and everything that he had never deserved. She was so pure and good and by some miracle, she had chosen to be his and then he’d gone and fucked it up by getting himself sent to prison. Draco eased her onto the bed without breaking the kiss and leant over her, unzipping her dress and praising Merlin that he had become quite adept with the muggle invention since they had started seeing each other. He wanted this to be perfect. He eased the dress from her shoulders and pushed it down until it pooled around her waist. 

Draco broke the kiss and moved his head to her neck, inhaling Hermione’s scent of vanilla, peppermint and parchment. His favourite fragrance. Fuck, he loved her. He proceeded to kiss down her neck, playing close attention to the places he knew she liked. Hermione let out a soft moan and began undoing the buttons on his shirt with impatient hands. When she had finished Draco leant back to pull his shirt off and reached for Hermione’s bra, deftly unclasping it with one hand before flinging it across the room. Throwing Hermione’s clothes around the room was one of Draco’s greatest passions and he wasn’t about to let an imminent stint in Azkaban deprive him of enjoying one of his favourite pastimes. He quickly leant back down and began softly kissing her breasts, watching as her nipples pebbled in response, before slowly kissing his way down her stomach. Hermione’s breathing became harsher and she placed her hands in his hair, running her fingers through it and lightly tugging.

As Draco reached the top of her underwear he hooked his thumbs through the satin edges and grasped the edge of her dress before pulling both down her legs in one smooth motion and flinging them across the room to join her discarded bra. 

Draco internally sighed as he pressed a kiss to Hermione’s inner thigh. Yes, he was definitely going to miss throwing her clothes.

Draco stood up from the bed and pushed his trousers and boxers to the floor. He righted himself and looked down at Hermione lying on the bed, her mass of curls spread behind her and her cheeks flushed from alcohol and arousal. He had never seen anything more beautiful than Hermione Granger. He often despised himself for having not recognised her perfection before. Before, when they were at school, when he was blinded by blood purity and Slytherin morals. Before the war. Before nearly everything in Draco’s life went to shit. However, he blessed every magical and muggle deity that, for some reason that Draco could not quite comprehend, she had given him a chance and had forgiven him for all the hurtful things he had said to her in the past. As he looked at her Draco was once again reassured that he did not deserve this witch.

“Come back”, Hermione pleaded as she rose on her elbows and bit her bottom lip.

Draco’s was already rock hard but his cock twitched and his eyes darkened at the sight of her plump bottom lip between her teeth. Draco complied with Hermione’s request and he lowered himself over her, gazing into her eyes as he said, “I will never deserve you. You are so perfect.”

Hermione put her hands on either side of Draco’s face and said in a sultry tone, “I love you, Draco.”

Even though he had heard that statement from Hermione hundreds of times it never ceased to amaze him. Draco captured Hermione’s lips in another punishing kiss that left them both breathless. As he pulled his lips from hers he pressed their cheeks together as he breathed in her ear, “I love you, too.” 

Draco kissed her once more, slowly this time but with equal burning intensity as he positioned himself at her entrance. He pushed into her and began to ease in and out with a brutally slow rhythm. He moved from her lips and began peppering kisses and soft nips along her neck. Hermione reacted, thrilling him that he was able to cause the whimpers that escaped from her perfect mouth

Draco began to move faster as Hermione’s whimpers grew into persistent throaty moans and her grip tightened on his shoulders to an almost painful level. As he began to feel her clench around him he looked at her face and watched as she began to come apart in his arms, hoping against all hope that the Dementors would not take this memory from him. 

Hermione went still and then came completely undone, moaning his name as pure ecstasy consumed her. At Hermione’s release, Draco felt himself pulled to dizzying heights before freefalling into unparalleled bliss as he poured himself into her. 

They both lay gasping for a few perfect moments before Draco moved off Hermione to lie on the bed pulling her close until she was tucked securely into the crook of his arm. Hermione let out a sigh of contentment and hooked her leg over Draco’s.

Draco held her close, brushing a few curls off her face before whispering, “Time to sleep, Granger.”

Hermione pulled him closer with her leg and in a sleepy voice muttered, “Love you, Malfoy.”

Draco watched her as she fell asleep, happy that she was finally getting some rest after all the emotional exhaustion he had put her through today. He lay there, brushing his hand over her hair for what seemed like an eternity. Stubbornly refusing to face that tonight was almost over and tomorrow was drawing near to take him away. He was childishly determined to fight the break of dawn and what it would bring. 

After what Draco was sure must have been hours and with a resigned sigh, he turned to gaze at the large grandfather clock situated on the wall beside his side of the best and saw that there were only forty minutes left until he had to be at the Ministry. The crushing weight of misery that Draco had tried to keep at bay threatened to choke him. He had tried to be as strong as he could for Hermione and although he knew that she would be livid when she woke and saw that he was gone, all his strength had left him and he knew he couldn’t cope with saying goodbye to her. She would understand that he had given her his goodbye in his actions. He hoped. 

Draco carefully untangled himself from Hermione and rose from the bed. He showered and dressed silently before gathering his luggage, shrinking it and placing it in his pocket, absentmindedly noting that they would probably remove everything and tear through it the moment he arrived in Azkaban. 

‘Oh well,’ he thought, ‘fuck it.’ 

After a final forlorn glance around the apartment that they shared he looked down to the bed where his sleeping witch lay. In that moment Draco knew that he would give anything to be able to stay with her, to go back and fix his monumental fuck up. He would have torn through the Department of Mysteries to obtain a time turner if he was sure they had any left. As he looked to the clock again he saw that it was time to leave. 

Draco walked slowly towards their bed and placed a soft kiss on Hermione’s forehead, inhaling his favourite fragrance for what he was sure would be the last time in a long time. As he rose, Draco heard a soft sigh escape and he watched as a small smile appeared on her lips. He released a shaky breath and tenderly brushed a final unruly curl from her face. When he turned to walk towards the fireplace that would transport him to his fate, Draco took solace in the fact that although he had ruined almost everything at least he had managed to save their last night.


End file.
